Vikram Batra
|
Captain Vikram Batra Param Vir Chakra |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | Sher Shah |
| Born |
9 September 1974 Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India |
| Died | 7 July 1999 (aged 24) Pt. 4875, Kargil, Jammu & Kashmir, India |
| Allegiance |
 Republic of India
|
| Service/branch |
 Indian Army
|
| Years of service | 1996–1999 |
| Rank |
 Captain
|
| Service number | IC 57556 |
| Unit | 13 JAK RIF |
| Battles/wars |
Kargil War Operation Vijay Battle of Tiger Hill |
| Awards |
 Param Vir Chakra
|
 Video about Captain Vikram Batra on YouTube showing a reenactment of his final battle during Kargil War, narrated by his then-commanding officer, Yogesh Kumar Joshi
|
Captain Vikram Batra, PVC (9 September 1974 – 7 July 1999) was an officer of the Indian Army, posthumously awarded with the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest and prestigious award for valour, for his actions during the 1999 Kargil War in Kashmir between India and Pakistan. He led one of the toughest operations in mountain warfare in Indian history. He was often called as ‘'Sher Shah'’ in the intercepted messages of the Pakistan army.
Vikram Batra was born on 9 September 1974 in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, to G.L. Batra and Jai Kamal Batra. He got his primary education from his mother, who herself was a teacher. He then attended the D.A.V. Public School in Palampur. He received his senior secondary education at Central School, Palampur. After passing his 10+2 in 1992 from Central School Palampur, he got admitted in D.A.V. College, Chandigarh in B.Sc where he was adjudged the best N.C.C. Cadet (Air Wing) in two zones. Later, he was selected to join the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun in 1996, and was commissioned in the Indian Army as a Lieutenant of the 13 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles at Sopore, in Jammu and Kashmir. He rose to the rank of Captain.
During the Kargil invasion of 1999 by Pakistan, Lt. Batra (at time), 13 JAK Rifles, who had recently returned from a commando course, and his Delta Company were ordered to recapture peak 5140 on 19 June 1999 five weeks after the war began. Nicknamed Sher Shah ('Lion King') in Urdu for his courage which also doubled as his call sign, he decided to approach the hill from the rear, aiming to surprise the Pakistani defenders. He and his men ascended the sheer rock-cliff, but as the group neared the top, the enemy pinned them on the face of the bare cliff with machine gun fire. Captain Batra, along with five of his men, climbed up regardless and after reaching the top, hurled two grenades at the machine gun post. He single-handedly killed three enemy soldiers in close combat. He was seriously injured in the process, but insisted on regrouping his men to continue with the mission. Inspired by the courage displayed by Captain Batra, the soldiers of 13 JAK Rifles charged the enemy position and captured Point 5140 at 3:30 a.m. on 20 June 1999. His company is credited with killing at least eight Pakistani intruders and recovering a heavy machine gun.
...
Wikipedia